Display panel

Abstract

Provided is a display panel including a base substrate provided with a plurality of thin film transistors, the base substrate including a plurality of transmission regions and a light-blocking region adjacent to the transmission regions, the thin film transistors overlapping the light-blocking region, a plurality of pixel electrodes overlapping the transmission regions, respectively, the pixel electrodes being connected to a corresponding one of the thin film transistors, and an insulating layer interposed between the pixel electrodes and the base substrate to include at least one staircase portion, each of which overlaps the transmission regions, respectively.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A display panel, comprising:
 a base substrate provided with a plurality of thin film transistors, the base substrate including a plurality of transmission regions and a light-blocking region adjacent to the transmission regions, the thin film transistors overlapping the light-blocking region;   a plurality of pixel electrodes overlapping the transmission regions, respectively, the pixel electrodes being connected to a corresponding one of the thin film transistors; and   an insulating layer interposed between the pixel electrodes and the base substrate including at least one staircase portion, each of which overlaps the transmission regions, respectively.   
     
     
         2 . The display panel of  claim 1 , wherein the insulating layer comprises:
 a first region having a first thickness; and   a second region having a second thickness different from the first thickness, the second region being provided adjacent to the first region,   wherein a depth of the staircase portion is the same as a difference between the first and second thicknesses.   
     
     
         3 . The display panel of  claim 2 , wherein the depth of the staircase portion ranges from 500 Å to 1000 Å. 
     
     
         4 . The display panel of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second regions have substantially the same area. 
     
     
         5 . The display panel of  claim 4 , wherein the second region encloses an edge of the first region. 
     
     
         6 . The display panel of  claim 5 , wherein a thickness of the insulating layer is greater in the first region than in the second region, and the staircase portion overlaps the first region. 
     
     
         7 . The display panel of  claim 5 , wherein a thickness of the insulating layer is smaller in the first region than in the second region, and the staircase portion overlaps the second region. 
     
     
         8 . The display panel of  claim 4 , wherein the first region comprises a plurality of first partial regions, and the second region is between the first partial regions. 
     
     
         9 . The display panel of  claim 8 , wherein the second region comprises a plurality of second partial regions, and the first and second partial regions are provided in an alternating manner. 
     
     
         10 . The display panel of  claim 1 , wherein the transmission regions comprises a first transmission region and a second transmission region, the first and second transmission regions have different areas from each other. 
     
     
         11 . The display panel of  claim 10 , wherein a depth of the staircase portion overlapped with the first transmission region is different from that of the staircase portion overlapped with the second transmission region. 
     
     
         12 . The display panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a color filter layer between the insulating layer and the pixel electrode, the color filter layer comprising a plurality of color patterns. 
     
     
         13 . The display panel of  claim 12 , further comprising a common electrode on the color filter layer, the common and pixel electrodes configured to produce an electric field. 
     
     
         14 . A display panel, comprising:
 a first display substrate, to which an external light is configured to be incident; and   a second display substrate disposed to face the first display substrate,   wherein the first display substrate comprises:   a base substrate including at least one pixel region, in which at least one transmission region and a light-blocking region adjacent to the at least one transmission region are provided;   a pixel electrode provided on the base substrate and overlapping the at least one transmission region; and   an insulating layer interposed between the pixel electrodes and the base substrate to include a staircase portion overlapping a portion of the at least one transmission region.   
     
     
         15 . The display panel of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one transmission region comprises a first transmission region and a second transmission region apart from each other,
 the pixel electrode comprises a first sub-pixel electrode and a second sub-pixel electrode, which overlap the first and second transmission regions, respectively, and   the insulating layer comprises staircase portions, which are overlapped with the first and second transmission regions, respectively.   
     
     
         16 . The display panel of  claim 15 , wherein the first transmission region comprises a first region and a second region, whose thicknesses are different from each other,
 a depth of the staircase portion overlapped with the first transmission region is equal to a thickness difference between the first and second regions, and   the first and second regions have substantially the same area.   
     
     
         17 . The display panel of  claim 16 , wherein an area of the first transmission region is different from that of the second transmission region. 
     
     
         18 . The display panel of  claim 17 , wherein the staircase portion has a depth ranging from 500 Å to 1000 Å. 
     
     
         19 . The display panel of  claim 18 , further comprising a liquid crystal layer hermetically provided between the first and second display substrates. 
     
     
         20 . The display panel of  claim 19 , wherein the second display substrate comprises:
 a light-blocking pattern provided on the second display substrate to define the light-blocking region; and   a second electrode provided on the light-blocking pattern configured to produce an electric field in conjunction with the first electrode.